“Torn”
by Natalie Imbruglia
from the album Left of the Middle
1997
Buy the album on Amazon
Like a wandering storyteller traveling the land, regaling the local townfolk with stories of adventures from afar, I often like to tell new friends and old tales of great karaoke adventures. As I’m also clearly not above self-deprecation, one of the stories I like to share is of the lowest karaoke moment for my dear friend Lance and I.
“Bad”
by U2
from the album The Unforgettable Fire
1984
Buy the album on Amazon
I hadn’t picked a song for today yet, and Lance went with U2, so it seemed like a good enough direction as any (after all, he and I have done U2 medleys before). U2 has never been on my list of favorite bands. I owned The Joshua Tree when I grew up, and there are some undeniably epic, classic songs on it, and throughout the years some of their other songs have hooked me, and usually hooked me hard. I respectfully accept their place in the rock pantheon, but I’ve mostly stuck with their hits, and am still discovering classics within that list.
Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Bad”
“All I Want Is You”
by U2
from the album Rattle & Hum
1988
Buy the album on Amazon
Although I’m not much of a U2 fan these days, there’s no denying that they have some amazing songs and albums in their catalog (if you don’t think Joshua Tree is a perfect album, please leave the planet now). Rattle & Hum is a mixed bag sandwiched between the aforementioned Joshua Tree and the brilliant Achtung Baby (which should have been their final album). There is a ton of filler and disappointing covers but they also include some downright amazing tracks, notably “God Part II,” “Desire” and my pick for Karaoke Tuesday, “All I Want Is You.”
“Piano Man”
by Billy Joel
from the album Piano Man
1973
Buy the album on Amazon
Likely the only time Billy Joel will be on this blog, but never say never. This is one of my favorite, A-list songs to sing. Counting just as much towards the final grade is that this is one of the most universal songs I sing, which means if I’m in a new mixed crowd, this is on the shortlist as a safe song. That happened a few nights ago in fact (more on that later).
“Sunglasses at Night”
by Corey Hart
from the album First Offense
1983
Buy the album on Amazon
Yes, i totally missed KaraokeTuesday last week, and admittedly I nearly missed it today (what can I say, it was a day off from work – yay Canada!). This is why Lance and I are blog buddies, to egg each other on when the other one forgets.
“Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns”
by Mother Love Bone
from the soundtrack to the film Singles
1992
Buy the album on Amazon
The Singles soundtrack is the most consistently good compilation that came out of the 90s. I think Chris would agree that by and large, most soundtracks are disappointing in that they have one or two great songs and the rest is just filler. But with Singles, the music supervisor totally nailed it. Super music fan and journalist Cameron Crowe directed the film so it’s not surprising. What was surprising for me at the time, was that the heart of the album wasn’t a track by Alice in Chains or Soundgarden or even Pearl Jam, but rather Mother Love Bone.
Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns”
“Make It Wit Chu”
by Queens of the Stone Age
from the album Era Vulgaris
2007
Buy the album on Amazon
“Who is your favorite band?”
It’s almost an impossible question to answer and completely unfair to ask, because the response can change based on genre, mood, the weather, what you’re eating, etc. For years I would say the Smashing Pumpkins were my favorite. And while Gish is still in my top ten list of all time and Siamese Dream is up there too (we’ll get into my issues with Mellon Collie at some point), I wouldn’t consider them a favorite anymore. The Pixies occupy a spot in the favorite list that’ll probably never fade, unless they keep releasing albums (tarnishing the memory of the original releases). King’s X – the Texas, metal power-trio – will always have a soft spot in my heart. Are these my favorite bands? Yes and no. Yes on some kind of honorary list, but is their current output what’s fueling my fire. No. I think the better question to ask is
“Who is the best band in the world, right now?”
The best band in the world right now is Queens of the Stone Age. The albums are chock full of wonderful and bizarre songs. Nothing quite sounds the same, but you can always tell it’s them. And for a long time I’ve wanted to perform a QOTSA song at karaoke, but the Ginger Elvis‘ range is just so huge that most of my favorites are beyond reach, not to mention unavailable in the book. But I think I might be able to pull off this gem. Maybe.
“True”
by Spandau Ballet
from the album True
1983
Buy the album on Amazon
A quintessential classic 80’s song. There are songs that fit that description in all the wrong ways. This is not one of them. Unless you just have never heard it before, as soon as those breathy sighs start, I don’t think there’s a person who doesn’t love this song. It’s pure class (just look at the singer in the video!) and romance.
Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “True”
“Girlfriend”
by Matthew Sweet
from the album Girlfriend
1991
Buy the album on Amazon
“Girlfriend” is unskippable. If it comes up on shuffle, I’ll always stop whatever search I was on and listen. The entire album is an amazing collection of songs. It’s both timeless and very specifically early 90s.
I remember sitting at home on Sunday nights watching 120 Minutes and desperately hoping Dave Kendall would hint that this song was coming up after the break. The video featured clips from the film Space Adventure Cobra and it was just the perfect choice for the song. And who didn’t want that silver-haired, blue jumpsuited vixen as his girlfriend? Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Girlfriend”
“Total Eclipse of the Heart”
by Bonnie Tyler
from the album Faster Than the Speed of the Night
1983
Buy the on Amazon
I think i’ve resisted this long enough. Yes, it’s completely a karaoke cliché. Yes, it is totally overdone. Yes, it always has the potential to be completely epic.
Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Total Eclipse of the Heart”